From Walworth County Sunday, an
Government Spending
City, Economy, Government Spending
Bloomberg: Jobless Claims in US Declined by 11,000 to 457,000
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s less than we need. The story reports that a collection of local government associations estimated that, nationally, local governments may cut almost 500,000 jobs through 2011 (or 8.6% of their total workforces). These are only estimates, and they say nothing about how any particular community will fare. In any event, sacrifices should always begin…
Economy, Government Spending
Congressional Budget Office: “Federal Debt and the Risk of a Fiscal Crisis”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Government Spending
Excessive Public Compensation in Bell, California (Lessons for the Rest of America)
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s hard to believe, but true: Bell, California paid its city manager eight-hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) per year in salary. When I first read about this, I thought it was a typo, or that they were paying Robert Rizzo in some other currency. It’s true, and astonishing. He’s now resigned, but every politician connected with…
Government Spending
Our National Debt Would Horrify the Founders | Washington Examiner
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yes, it would. In the period spanning the final year of George W. Bush’s second term in the White House and President Obama’s tenure to date, the national debt has exploded from $9.1 trillion to nearly $13.2 trillion, reaching 90 percent of the gross domestic product…. [Consider] Jefferson’s statement in an 1816 letter to John…
Government Spending
The YouCut Choices This Week: Why Not End Federal Funding of Foreign Political Campaigns?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here are this week’s YouCut proposals — spending cut proposals from among choices posted online. The most popular ideas go to a House vote. U.S. Representative Eric Cantor notes that “[o]ur nation’s debt grows by $4.9 billion every day.” Here are the five cuts from which one can select a preference this week. Bipartisan Proposal…
Government Spending
Reason.tv: Steven Greenhut on Public Employee Paychecks, Perks, and Plunder
by JOHN ADAMS •
In a nine-minute video, author and web publisher Steven Greenhut states his case against the financial demands of public sector employees. In his home state of California, Greenhut’s seen first hand how voracious the public sector can be, and how it’s left that state broke, and a pale version of its former attractiveness. Quick note:…
City, Government Spending
Many Possibilities: “A city outsources everything. Sky doesn’t fall.”
by JOHN ADAMS •
I don’t believe that my small town, Whitewater, Wisconsin, needs to outsource everything. I do think that we have too many leaders in the city. Reductions in number or compensation, if any, should begin at the very top. It’s simply absurd for a small city’s principal bureaucrat to have his own bureaucrat to assist him.…
Economy, Government Spending
After Job Training, Many Still Scrambling for Employment – CNBC
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning
Whitewater’s Publicly-Funded Innovation Center on Sunday, July 18th
by JOHN ADAMS •
Economy, Government Spending
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Lost 1,000 Private Sector Jobs in June
by JOHN ADAMS •
There can be no true recovery in which aggregate private sector jobs are lost. Yet, Wisconsin lost 1,000 private sector jobs last month. The answer to private sector struggles is a reduction of the public policies of taxing, spending, and regulating. See, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Lost 1,000 Private Sector Jobs in June
Government Spending, Politics
Amity Shlaes on Government’s Arrogance
by JOHN ADAMS •
In a essay at Bloomberg, Amity Shlaes, fellow in history at the Council on Foreign Relations, writes that Arrogance Surplus Leads to Government Excesses: Commentary by Amity Shlaes. She describes the arrogance of lawmakers and planners in Washington, D.C. (and what she writes would apply just as accurately to state and local governments): The problem…
Government Spending
Journal Sentinel: Property Values Go Down, but Tax Rates, Levies Go Up
by JOHN ADAMS •
The story shows that as property values take a drop, the absolute amount of tax revenues sucked from the productive, private economy keeps growing. Reporter Tom Kertscher correctly notes that even in good times politicians were disingenuous when they talked about tax rates going down – the absolute amount of tax levy dollars taken would…
Government Spending
Journal Sentinel: State Deficit for Next Two-Year Budget Swells to $2.5 Billion
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wisconsin will need to reduce government’s size across the board to avoid stiffling tax increases that are the only alternative to close the expected budget gap. We can make those reductions, and have a more responsible and responsive state government. See, State Deficit for Next Two-Year Budget Swells to $2.5 Billion